Bravery in the Face Of
by BadPoetry
Summary: Kaye's story continues after Tithe. Roiben has been scarce. Kaye attempts to come to terms with her ambiguous relationship with the King of the Unseelie Court.
1. Chapter 1

Kaye awoke suddenly to the sounds of an 84' Chevy Cavalier peeling of her driveway; spitting rocks that in turn ricocheted off her grandmother's ceramic flowerpots. She grunted and tried to roll-over only to find that her right arm was completely asleep, and thus a notable hindrance to the desired movement.

"Have a good night Mom," she said with slight disdain.

Grabbing her right elbow, she supported it enough to sit up and untwist herself from the clutches of the faded pink comforter wrapped around her ankles. She ran her fingertips over her violet eyes, remembering only afterward that she never removed her makeup from the night before. Her old mattress creaked with the suggestion of any sort of movement and she felt the distinct imprint of metal springs through her gray sweatpants. Glancing over to the red glow of her decade-old alarm clock, she snorted.

"Fuck. I'm going to be late."

Newly instilled with at least some semblance of energy, she rolled off the mattress and stretched her lithe body. Her feet were stiff from walking so far the night before. Kaye approached her solitary window and parted the matching pale pink curtains. The tire tracks were still visible in the driveway. She squinted upward and observed that the sky was clear, allowing only a few small clouds to mar its visage. Kaye unconsciously raised her hand and grabbed the fleshy lobe of her ear, running her fingers along its edge. Normal human appendages. The glamour was still intact. Yet, she could distinctly feel a burn as the smoke from her mother's preparatory cigarettes coursed into her lungs. She swallowed. The glamour would have to hold up just a bit longer. It was 10:35.

"25 minutes," she whispered closing the curtains.

Stumbling over an empty bottle of rum and an obscure pile of dirty clothing, Kaye made her way to the bathroom. As the fluorescent light flickered on, she stood in front of the mirror and let the faucet run over her hands. Dark circles plagued her under-eyes, and navy eyeliner dripped from beneath her lashes. A substantial sized bruise began to form above the arch of her left eyebrow. She sighed and touched the area gingerly with her dampened hand.

"Fuck, Corny."

Her mischievous friend and confident had become all to curious about the Faerie world since Kaye had discovered her true identity. Although he had vowed never again to be in such a helpless, degrading situation, recently he had stumbled into the clutches of a few unsavory members of the Unseelie court near the graveyard entrance to the kingdom. He returned in one piece; with nothing more than a few strangely-placed scratches and symptoms suggesting a massive hangover. Yet Kaye knew the dangers of an overzealous curiosity- especially since the solitary faye were currently outside any circle of government. Images of Nephamael momentarily swam through Kaye's mind. She pushed them away. Seven years of Freedom. And it was all her own doing. She shook her head. No. She could not keep living her life this way.

Kaye had accompanied Corny to the Faerie Realm the night before, as he had said he was going with, or without her. From what she remembered, they had become caught in the middle of a quarrel between two rather well-muscled male faeries. Kaye was well aware of the nature of those bound by the Unseelie Court. They were ruthless and derived simple pleasure from the agony and suffering of the helpless.

Pushing the previous night's events into the back of her teaming mind, she concentrated all her energy- forcing it into the tips of her slender fingers, and delicately brushed her hand across her face. Upon opening her eyes, she was pleased to see the circles had vanished leaving only a dark line of shadow beneath her lids. The bruise, although not completely gone, was barely noticeable; at least to the human eye.

Exiting the bathroom, she grabbed a pair of faded jeans from her doorknob and a tee-shirt from the aforementioned pile on her floor. The navy blue shirt proudly proclaimed "Ithaca is GORGES." To this day, Kaye still had no collective clue how the garment came into her keeping. She merely added it to the file of unexplained occurrences that had recently overflowed from the addition of current events. Pulling her combat boots on, she tucked her jeans into them and laced them up only half way before grabbing a coat and flying (although not literally) out the door.

Walking down the road, Kaye couldn't help but acknowledge the tiny, but violent faces peering at her from the edge of the woods. If she strained, she could hear their tiny claws rip at the leaves that concealed them. They wouldn't dare approach her. Regardless of their true nature, no member of the solitary faye would be willing to incur HIS wrath for even the most dire of purposes. Kaye ran her hands through her hair and deposited them into her coat pockets. Steam rose up from the damp asphalt and danced around the passing vehicles. The cool night air felt soothing against her skin. She had been trapped beneath the glamour for some time now and wanted nothing more than to allow it to slide off her body like hot running water. A soft breeze brushed her cheek suggesting a possible rain shower. "Just let me get there, then do what you will," she said speaking to the clouds now inhabiting the previously clear night sky.

As the park came into view her steps became noticeably quicker. A large willow came into sight and her lips curved into a secretive smile. Just as she reached the sanctuary of its long, reaching branches, the first drop of rain fell landing on the toe of her boot. She had no idea what time it was. Was she late? Early? Perhaps he had left already, impatient with her lack of punctuality. She glanced at the imprint her foot left in the newly trimmed grass. They had saved each others lives, yet she still had so many questions concerning their relationship. He was, at times the definition of ambiguity. Yet others, when she expected him to be indistinct, he was dangerously blunt. He entranced her. He scared her. He comforted her. She leaned against the soft bark of the tree and closed her eyes, allowing the damp wind to whisper reassurances into her ears. She hadn't seem him in almost three weeks.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey Forgot a disclaimer: Holly Black wrote the books, I'm just working off them. She's lovely I wouldn't steal anything from her.

She opened her eyes to see the faint light of the moon shining between the long, elegant branches of the willow. Becoming entranced by the image, she barely noticed the looming presence behind her. Kaye whirled around, only to see the familiar trunk of the willow tree and the now steadily falling rain. She brought her hand to her forehead in attempts to calm the whirlwind thoughts rushing through her mind. She popped her collar to keep the cold out and formulated the quickest path home. He had obviously forgotten about their meeting. Before she could take one step out from under the tree, she felt to large hands grasp either of her hips and pull her swiftly backward.

Before she could even muster a scream, one of those very hands gently covered her lips.

"You weren't actually thinking of going home, were you?" a deep, velvety voice questioned. Kaye let out the breath she had been holding and her body loosened within his grasp. The figure lowered his lips to her ear.

"Pixie, your treading on dangerous ground. The Fae in this area do not take well to followers of the Unseelie Court."

Kaye suddenly turned around, focusing her smoky eyes on his piercing silver orbs. She stood on her tiptoes and whispered. "I think, at this point, I'll take my chances." Roiben smirked and slowly grasped her hand, lacing each of his long fingers betwixt hers. The action made Kaye completely forget about her surroundings, made her forget about last night, about the numerous nights before, that had been plagued with such pain and uncertainty. Just to feel her hand in his, made her feel safe; even within a world that was so quick to offer conflict.

He tugged her hand and she followed, her combat boots splashing through the newly saturated grass. Under the moonlight, she could see he was under his normal glamour, blonde hair almost white, light blue eyes resembling silver, and black fabric covering every inch of his body.

He made her legs weak.

She slowed and stopped, tugging lightly out of his grasp. She looked at the earth beneath her feet and brushed a strand of wet hair behind her ear in a moment of self-consciousness. "Where are we going?" she asked quietly, finally raising her eyes to his. She didn't want to push him away, but he had been gone for so long. "Roiben I haven't seen or heard from you in almost a month… I didn't even know if you were still…" she paused and chuckled weakly at her own pathetic insecurities. "…alive."

He approached her, remorse momentarily painted across his sharp features. For a moment, Kaye imagined him human. Suddenly his keen eyes fell across her slightly-purple brow. His lips hardened and his eyes darkened. He reached out a hand and roughly ran a callused finger across her eyebrow, as if wiping away the glamour and revealing the wound in its full glory. He could see right through it. "Ah, well I see you've been down for a visit without my knowledge."

Kaye cringed at his touch. The bruise was still raw, but Roiben's disappointment cut deeper than the physical pain his finger caused. She avoided his stare. "I had to go," she said quickly. She was back in high school making excuses for skipping class. "Corny wouldn't take no for an answer. What was I supposed to do? Leave…" she was interrupted by Roiben growling and turning his back.

"It is far too dangerous Kaye. I thought you understood that," he said with force. The volume of his speech rose with each word; disappointment dripping from each syllable. "Its bad enough that you ventured down there, but bringing a human…" he trailed off and raised his eye to the moon.

Kaye's remorse slowly melted into anger and disbelief. Her fingernails dug into her palms as she clenched her fists tighter together. The moist air burned against her reddened cheeks as she stood, silent, and accepted Roiben's anger. "How dare you…" she murmured. He looked over at her.

"What?" he asked.

"How dare you!" she said with resolution. "It is not my fault that Corny has a hard-on for supernatural pain. He seeks it out, Roiben! If I didn't follow him, he would have traveled to the court on his own, and he probably… he probably wouldn't have come back."

Kaye let the rain drip down the edge of her nose before realizing that tears were slowly falling from her tired eyes. Roiben reached out for her elbow but she shied away from his familiar grasp.

"I admit…" she began, sucking in air to prevent a sob from escaping her lips. She couldn't believe she was crying in his presence. He would surely think her weak. "I admit that I hoped to see you… maybe lay eyes on you just once, to see that you were still alive…" Kaye closed her eyes and tried desperately to steady her breathing. She could feel the magic of her glamour weakening with the emotional upheaval. Upon opening them, she watched as Roiben ran a hand over his face in frustration. Kaye stood a step backward. "Its okay," she began, taking a few more, realizing what she thought was the ending of their relationship. "I get it…" She turned her back, just as he had done earlier and walked toward the road.

Once again she was caught in his embrace. This time his movement was rough, hurried. She was to exhausted to fight his advances and allowed herself to be hugged close to his body. He whispered, somewhat desperately.

"What more can I do to prove my loyalty Kaye?"

She furrowed her brows and spun around, wriggling free from his grasp. He seemed almost defeated, with his well-defined chin tilted toward the earth, and his long-elegant hair drenched and blocking the radiance of his face. Kaye stepped toward him, almost at once regretting her words. When she was close enough, he again reached out his hand, this time softly caressing her bruise. His finger traced the line of her eyebrow and down the side of her cheek, following the path of one of her tears.

"I fear for your safety at all costs, I am sorry…" he began. Kaye stopped him by tilting his face up with her fingertips. She wanted to scream at herself for doubting him. Before her mind could decide what to do next, Roiben leaned forward and placed his lips lightly against hers- almost imploringly. Every reason Kaye could formulate for wanting Roiben came stampeding into her mind at once. She tugged on his black t-shirt, pulling him against her. A groan of relief escaped Roiben's throat causing Kaye to shiver. Removing his hands from her waist, Roiben opened his long over-coat and wrapped it around the pixie's lithe frame so the two were both encompassed in the black fabric. Kaye pulled back and smirked. She could see her breath in the cold night air. She felt Roiben's chin against the top of her head. He was resting it there; obviously deep in thought. She obliged and placed her cheek against his well-muscled chest.

"So" he began. His rough, mysterious tone now fully restored. "What do we do now?"

Kaye shrugged her shoulders, revealing the fact that she was still just an indecisive teenager. "I don't know…" she said with a sniffle. "Coffee?"


End file.
